R. Meltzer

[John A Swartz]

Well, Deb just beat me to the punch.  I just got back from lunch and had
stopped at my local Barnes & Noble -- looking for Meltzer's "The Aesthetics
of Modern Rock".  'twasn't there, but in the "New Fiction" section, I
saw a hardcover of Meltzer's "The Night (Alone)".

I didn't get the book, but I skimmed it and noticed the poem, "Just Like
Hansel and Gretel".  And, the question I was going to put to Deb and Al
was whether this poem was the original that the lyrics to the Brain
Surgeons' "Hansel & Gretel" came from?  Since Deb has set that they are
re-written, I was wondering how close to the original are the lyrics that
the Brain Surgeons used?  Perhaps because the Brain Surgeons' rendition
is sung by a husband/wife duo, or perhaps its the lyrics, but a quick
read of Meltzer's poem in the book seemed a bit more sinister -- whereas
the Surgeons' rendition seems sort of "playful" - more like two young
lovers.  Perhaps "sinister" is the wrong word, but Meltzer's poem made
me think that it was more about horny teenagers than young lovers.

Ah, but I think I'm well over my quota today . . .

John